Heavy rain and strong winds swept across northern England and southern Scotland todayas forecasters warned more bad weather was on the way.

Cumbria bore the brunt of the storms with the village of Shap deluged by 38mm (1.5in) of rain in 12 hours.

Rivers across the region burst their banks and the Met Office said between 50mm and 70mm of rain could fall in parts of the county before 6am tomorrow. Twenty one schools were forced to close for the day.

Alan Goodman, the Met Office adviser for north-west England, said: "We're looking at an extreme weather event. There's bound to be river flooding."

It rained continuously in Shap from 6pm on Wednesday until 6am today. In Keswick, 30mm fell during the same period while 173mm was recorded at Seathwaite in 24 hours ending mid-morning.

The Environment Agency said the Cumbrian towns of Cockermouth, Kendal and Keswick were of most concern while officials worked through the night in Carlisle to put up temporary flood defences for 400 properties. The agency admitted there were still risks to pockets of the city which saw almost 2,000 properties flooded in January 2005 at a clean-up cost of about £400m.

Forecasters warned of further bad weather to come in northern England, north-west Wales and western Scotland with winds in parts of western England and Wales gusting at up to 70mph .

The agency had 31 flood warnings and 62 less serious flood watches in place for England and Wales with Cumbria likely to continue to be badly affected.

Large parts of Keswick and Cockermouth were under water as the rivers Cocker, Greta and Derwent overflowed and water levels rose 300mm in less than an hour.

Trains were delayed and drivers told to avoid unnecessary journeys as police shut the A595 and long delays hit the A590 after almost 480mm of rain fell at Lindal in Furness. The A591 between Keswick and Grasmere was flooded and littered with debris.

Mike Smythe, of Cumbria county council, advised householders in low-lying areas to think about protecting their valuables. "The outlook is bleak in terms of flooding," he said. "Make sure your valuable documents, like certificates, insurance documents and wedding photos, are safe."

Emergency plans have been drawn up for Carlisle, Keswick and other lowland areas vulnerable to flooding if rivers such as the Eden and Greta burst their banks.

Roads have already been closed and some homes evacuated in Lancashire and the Pennine areas of Yorkshire, where towns near the rivers Calder and Irwell have been hit.

"Unfortunately for those areas, the rain is not expected to move very far today," Rachel Vince, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said.

The rain was expected to ease off as it moved into south-east England.

An Environment Agency spokesman also warned of a tidal surge in the northern Irish Sea that could cause an increased flood risk along the west coast from Aberystwyth northwards.

Parts of north Wales were also badly affected. Thousands of acres of farmland were awash in the Conwy Valley, where water levels were reported to be the highest for a quarter of a century.

In Lincolnshire, the agency urged "rogue" dam builders to stop their activities amid fears they were increasing the risk of flooding.